shelter

 The dry interior drain is quite startling. However, even more startling is to get down into that dry mud and see quite how much activity is actually in there. Raccoons and skunks are clearly foraging the clams, mussels and crayfish that are hiding there in great abundance. Tracks from raccoons and skunks wind between holes made by turtles and crayfish that are colored by white splatters of fishing bird scat and black mud wallows full of the last of the small fish.

 

This dead skunk was invisible under the high banks found on Andrews Lane. The smell, however, was not. No idea what killed it, but rabies is always a possibility. It likely was hit by a car. Up close, these animals are quite beautiful, with a rich, thick pelt and intelligent eyes. Of course, no-one gets to be that close. Unless they are a scavenger like a vulture.

 In the bosque, I am stalking Ravenna grass in the latest sisyphean ecological task. This large stand is taking over the south end of bosque beach. The thing is, there is an issue with succession. This Ravenna grass excludes other plants, but other plants seem to thrive on the edges of these fields. The tall grass also represses undesirable species like tamarisk. They also create open meadow areas that reduces fire damage from hot fires that come with heavy wood piles. Heavy wood creates the hottest, most destructive fires. They indirectly prevent fuel ladders which are the the cause of the most destructive of the forest fires.

The stand of Ravenna grass in the last picture also is one of the hiding places for this coyote. It was patrolling the river edge for nibbles. However, notice on the far back that it's attention is diverted by a small flock of Canada geese. The geese are quite safe; the water makes it too slow and noisy for the coyote to approach them, and the open water means the birds can clearly see it coming.

 

 

The Ravenna grass seems to like the open space found on the edges of stable river banks. The dense network of shallow roots stabilize the soil well, and often have burrows from beaver and muskrat below them. 

 

 The water in the lower ditches has gone. This young bullfrog is showing the adaptability of the species as they migrate out of the stable permanent waters of the drains and are now found in the backwaters of the Rio Grande itself. I wonder where the large old frogs are?

 

Many birds are a staple of the bosque in the fall and winter. One of the most iconic are the northern flicker, a sort of migrating woodpecker-like species. The forest is full of their "howdy" calls, they are establishing new territory and getting to know their neighbors

 

 

 With the days getting shorter, there are more people and animals up and around in the pre-dawn light. Green and brown colors are being replaced with oranges and yellow hues. Balloons and harvest moons are iconic autumn signs, along with chilly mornings.

 The pre-dawn is full of energy from small songbirds. However, once the sun rises above the Sandia mountains, other more sinister shapes will come into focus. Some of these turkey vultures have partly opened their wings and are facing the sun. Others face away and raise their feathers to allow the sun to reach their dark skin between the shoulder blades. The vulture squads have returned to the bosque to form up into caravans as they prepare to head back down south. It is probably not accidental that there are also more mammal carcasses around right now.

 A vulture's head is perfectly adapted, but not to prevent soiling. These birds do not often have a chance of finding a carcass large enough to be able to insert their whole head into. The red color, with black spot in front of the eye (caruncle) are important visual cues to communicate with others of its own species. That long slit of a nose is the primary way they find food. Vultures are also very social creatures (at times). They use their eyes to scan the skies for what the other vultures are doing. Birds do not get sunburn, that red color is from shallow blood vessels that help disperse heat while the bird is on the ground during the heat of the day. The six foot wing span can also be spread out to help cool or heat the body.

 This new born lizard also spreads out to absorb heat from the morning sun. The best sun spots are pretty competitive, but right now he has this area to himself.

 While most mammals do not need to bask, this squirrel also likes to feel the sun at it surveys the landscape from it's favorite perch. It is likely watching a bird feeder being refilled, the little brat. The fluffy look is the hairs being fluffed out to trap body heat in the still air that is close to its skin.

 Bullfrogs save energy by floating on pond weed while they absorb heat from the sun to aid with mobility and digestion. On cool mornings the water can be warmer than the air until the sun starts to work on it. They rest just out of human's reach on the edges of still ponds. The green matches perfectly because they can change color hues slowly during the day. Frog eyes are a bizarre area of study. The horizontal eye slits helps a bullfrog see motion nearby to avoid approaching predators.

This cute little boi (yes, that is the right spelling) has the vertical pupils for hunting moths and beetles mostly at night. These frogs live in an environment that restricts predators from finding them. Muddy desert moonless nights and underground life means they are hard to find but easy to catch. They also have bad tasting glands behind their eyes. I was very lucky to find one out this late in the year.